xiv, 176 pages ; 24 cm

Womanpower unveils the lively but little-reported debate on women's positions in the modern Arab world. It paints a picture drawn from individual stories as well as from national development programs and attempts to explain why the process of social change in the region has been slow and uneven by linking it to political and economic developments. By illustrating particular themes--personal status laws, development policies, political rights--with examples from specific countries, Nadia Hijab builds up an informative overview of the Arab world today

Includes bibliographical references (pages 166-172) and index

The UN Decade for Women -- The Arab world and the UN Decade -- The Convention's rocky road -- Change at the grassroots level -- Tough times ahead -- The great family law debate -- A slow pace of change -- The Arab family: the key to society -- Women: the key to the family -- 'Equivalent' under the law -- The early days of Islam -- Restrictive interpretations -- The secular approach: Turkey -- Nationalism vs reform: Tunisia's 'Islamic secularism' -- An 'Islamic Marxist' approach: Democratic Yemen -- Leaving the law to the courts: Bahrain and Kuwait -- The debate on identity, religion and rights: Algeria -- The Egyptian family law saga -- Egyptian women argue their case -- A small step for womankind ... -- Cross-currents conservative and liberal -- 'Cultural loyalty' and the limits of debate -- Cultural colonialism -- Cultural loyalty and the status of women -- Feminism vs nationalism -- The establishment outlook -- Defining the role of religion in society -- Organisational strength -- Reaching out to women -- The uses of veiling -- Islamic liberation -- How to define the role of women -- The liberal nationalists -- Questioning the framework -- The debate goes on -- Arab women in the workforce -- Redefining development -- Some positive indicators -- And some negative indicators -- Working women: unreliable statistics -- Three conditions: need, opportunity, ability -- The cultural thesis: an example from Lebanon -- Need at the state level -- and the phenomenon of labour migration -- Labour migration and the role of women -- Opportunity at the state level: planning for women -- Arab labour legislation on women -- The gap between theory and practice -- Need and opportunity at the popular level -- Work and public activity: two sets of attitudes -- The third condition: ability -- Need, opportunity, ability -- Jordanian women's liberating forces: inflation and labour migration -- Need at the state level: from unemployment to labour shortage -- Ability: the female labour pool -- Creating opportunity: planning for women -- Self-reliance vs self-help -- Legislation and 'consciousness-raising' -- Attitudes of Jordanian employers -- Need at the popular level -- Change in the village, too -- New avenues open up -- The pendulum swings -- The Arab Gulf states: demand but no supply -- A flood of foreign manpower -- Opportunity knocks, not too loudly -- Social attitudes and opportunity at the popular level -- Colonisation in reverse, and the question of identity -- Social alarm bells and foreign nursemaids -- Changing attitudes to marriage -- The young professionals -- The women professionals -- Tug of war on women's work -- Ability: the need for skills -- Work for work's sake -- Power past and future -- Defining power -- Negotiating power -- Early women reformers and nationalism -- Women's groups, official and unofficial -- The right to vote (when parliament exists) -- Seeking other avenues for change -- Networking, and cultural maturity -- Social, economic and national liberation -- Information as a source of power -- Empowering people

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